LET IT SNOW: White winter predicted to hit Southern Downs

IT HAPPENED three years ago and it looks like history is going to repeat as snow has been predicted to fall on the Southern Downs this winter.

Hydrologist Dave Taylor, who runs Facebook page Brisbane Weather, predicted southern Queensland would have one of the coldest winters yet, with snow falling from Stanthorpe possibly all the way up to Warwick and Toowoomba.

Mr Taylor uses sunspots to produce long-term weather outlooks.

"When we get into a phase when sunspots are a minimal, usually we have a very cold winter,” he said.

"At the moment we're swinging to a long period of less activity and it's (sunspots) going to be quite low so that means a cold winter.”

Dave Taylor uses analysis of sunspots to predict the weather and he has forecast snow for Stanthorpe and even Warwick this winter.Contributed

Mr Taylor said we were also heading into a La Nina, which is a period of increased rain.

But what is most striking is his theory about just how cold it'll be, as he predicts it's going to be colder than we've ever seen in modern history.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we see snow around Stanthorpe this winter, I think it will shock people how cold it's going to be,” he said.

Mr Taylor said Australia usually follows the weather pattern of America, which has had their coldest winter and snow in places it wouldn't usually be seen.

Snow has been predicted to fall in Stanthorpe, even reaching as high as Warwick and Toowoomba.Contributed

The long-term outlooks produced by Mr Taylor have impressed followers of his Facebook page.

He said he was even able to predict the behaviour of Cyclone Debbie, despite his predictions contradicting other experts.

Others believed Debbie would move west to central Queensland.

"I was saying she'd do a loop and effect south-east Queensland which is what it did,” he said.

Mr Taylor said everyone must still play it by ear to see how the weather will pan out, but he was very confident our region would see some white coverage before winter was through.